Method of making piles.



G. A. BEHRND. METHOD OF MAKING PILES.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 23, 1903. PatentedApP; 13, 1909.

. game 55 G. A. BEHRND. METHOD OF MAKING FILES. APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, 1903.

Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I I'NVEIVTHR" (-Evsiai: A. Behrnd W/ T/VE 5 5 55.-

odil/ citizen of the United States, and/resident of ToaZZ it may concern:

UNITED STATES rarer, OFFICE.-

GUSTAV A. rianne, or sAN rnauoisoo, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO THOMAS K-THOMSON, or SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

minor or MAKnvert Es.

Application filed my 23, 1903; Seri a1 No.-i6e,765.

Beit known that I, GUSTAV A. Bnrm1vn, a

' the city and. county of San Francisco, in the State of California, have invented a new and useful Method of .Making Piles, of which the following'is a' specification. Fromtime immemorial there hasbeen a .demand or rather an eager part. of architects, engineers, and" builders generally, for: a pile that could resistthe burrowing ofthe teredinoid bivalve and \vithstand the. attacks of theelementsr' To satisfy this demand or desire is object of my inventionf The said invention Wlll cc-explained with reference to the accompanying drawings,. -Whichform an inseparable part thereof and in which all similar details are indicated by corresponding letters and exponents throughout the various figures.

'Fi'gure'l is a side view, partly sectioned,

of the bottom-end of a pile made by, my

method, the same having-a wavy outline or nodulous contour. Fig. 2 is a section across the middle portion ofthe preceding figure, looking either way. Fig. 3 is a somewhat longer side view of the same type of pile,

1 showing it in the form or mold in-which it is made, the latter appearing in longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a cross section of a square or rectangular pile and the form or mold therefor, both made'in'accordance with the invention. Fig. 5 is a similar view of an analogous pile and mold or form. F 6 is a side view of the lower end of a cylindrical pile, shoyvn also in its mold or form,-which 1s in section. Fig. 7 is across section of this pile, removed from the-form or mold. Figs. 8=and 9 are views similar to Figs- 6 and 7, respectively, and illustrate a pile of triangular shape, with part of its mold or form. Figs. 10 and 11 are respectively a side elevation and a sectional plan, representing the invention applied to's'heet-piling.

Piles made by my method are formed of hydraulic cement, that is, of cement which will harden under water, which is subjected to a very great pressure, exerted from with-- out the mold in-any approved manner, oi

' the pressure may be exerted'from within the mold by using an expanding cement such as that known in the art as Teutonia cement this latter cement havmg the property 0 increasing in volume after it is mixed and.

desire on the the:

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ape-1 13, 1909. 7

before-it becomes firmly set- Other cements As hereinabove intimated, and sufficiently indicated inthe drawings, the pile may assume a large variety of shapes, all of which may be madefiy the method contemplated by this invention. However, that repre- 'sented in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and lettered A, is believed to be superior, in so-faras its circumference comprises a number of alter- .nate, annular V swellings and hollows, or

ridges and dips, or nodes or corrugations whereby it is peculiarly well adapted for implanting, so to say, in soft mud or quicksand' or other treacherous ground, which.

will naturally fill in the depressions between the outspre'ading portionsofthe pile and buoy it up, as it were, or sustain it so as to 'prevent jor at least minimize-its subsiding after it hasbeen sunk or lowered to the required depth. The other piles, shown in Figs. 4- to '11 and respectively designatedby A A A A A", can likewise have transverse concavities at 's uitable intervals throughout their length or part thereof fer a like purpose, although, not to burden the drawings with unnecessary illustrations and l at the. same time to exemplify diverse adaptations of the invention, this feature has been omitted from the views last named.

It is understood, of course, that the said feature is not particularly a consequence of circularity, sphericity, or angularity, but may be a characteristic of the pile in any of its shapes, whether it be a derivative of a prism or of a figure.

In making the pile, the cement is properly hydrated and worked to the consistency of a stiff mortar, which is dropped or shoveled into the form or mold required to impart to it the desired shape. Outwardly' each form or mold has a troughlike appearance, but'tlie inner walls'thereof niustnecessarily conform to the shape to be imparted, that is to say,

will be either straight or unevenly fashioned to produce corresponding surfaces onthe matter which they are made to inclose. Thus, a form B with an inside circular undulating surface is provided for'the pile A,

as shown in :Fig. 3.. Other roman- B3 B" cylinder or other geometrical swell, it is prevented from so doin covered form incloslng 1t,

' as is shown at a or a or a 'as it is being B, strai ht-walled inwardly, are supplied for the pi es A A A A Figs. 4, 5, 6, 8, and

so on for difierently-shaped piles; and these forms will vary from one another in cross section according as the pile is to be prismatic or cylindrical. Preferably, all the forms are brought tea point at one end internally, in order to produce a corresponding point or wedge at that end of the pile which is first to enter the ground, such for instance in Figs. 3, 6, and 10. I provide a metallic bond in the cement deposited into the form to make a pile, this to insure greater cohesiveness of the mass and augment the crushing strength of the finished pile. The metal that may be employed aries considerably in grade and shape. I have shown plain,

straight rods 0 in most of the figures of the drawings, which rods may be of iron or steel and disposed at more or less regular intervals in the mass of cement. Several similar rods can advantageously be placed in parallelism longitudinally of the form and pile made therein, and the same may be kept separate as shown, or interconnected in any suitable manner. Butthey need not be disposed lengthwise,- as a transversal or oblique arrangemeutwould answer the purpose with equal advantage. Fig. 4 suggests the use of a'single rod twisted into an advancing spiral, either cylindrical or conical, and centrally embedded in the cement. I also use wire netting nd expanded metal (socalled), that is, punched and laterally-spread sheet-metal. After the form isthoroughly packed or filled, pressure is applied to its contents in either one of two ways,'according to the nature of the cement employed, whether common or expanding. If non-expanding cement is used, then a top piece as a Fig. 4c, is placed upon it and forced down into the form by hydraulic power till it (the cement) and the metal combinedtherewith are-united and pressed into a compact, denser body, which constitutes the finished pile when the cement has completely solidifi d. \Vhen expanding cement is selected instead, the top piece'in that case ismade large enough to cover the entire form, to which it is bolted fast, as the top a to the form A, Fig. 5, covering the withinlaid. combined cement and metal. As this cement tends to g by the with the result that, being kept confined till it has solidified, the cement operates to press itself and the m al Within to the extent of the difference between its bulk when set and what it should he were it allowed to expand as it would under normal conditions. Thus we have a selfressed hydraulic pile: The tops a a it wi 1 be understood, are made to match the sides and ends of their respective forms, Whatever their internal configuration may be.

The pressure of the mass of cement and metal renders it more uniform or less porous and is accompanied with a corresponding in? crease in its power of resistance to crushing after it is. set and has become a finished pile.

This resisting power equals tons to the square inch and is many times that of an iunpressed body of same material and dimensions. The pile in fact is a great deal more solid than a rock of same proportions, and indestructible and imperishable as well. It is quite; evident, without comparing this invention with any other or referring to-anything else but old'and well-known constructions, that. no teredo will here into such a pile as it does with the common woodenpiles, nor will the pile split, crumble awayor gradually fall to pieces as the creosoted article, nor is it subject to rust or crystallization like the metallic pile. Briefly, it is not liable to decay from any cause; it will not be injuriou'sly affected by extremes of heat or cold or by variations in meteorological conditions or by alternate exposure to drought and humidity; it is impermeable to water and will not rot if the surrounding ground should dry up at the surface; it is invulnerable to all vegetable or animal fungi or parasites; it is proof against fire and storms and practically also against seismic distu bances; it will bear enormous weights, to concussion, withstand the heaviest im-' pact, etc.

Figs. 10 and 11 illustrate how this in vention is adapted to forming continuous walls or revetments, as in sheet-piling or for other purposes. As shown in these two views, the pile A can be grooved longitudiually on each side so that when a number of piles are placed in juxtaposition the grooves in adjoining piles will register and form together a cylindrical opening or bore which can be filled with the same material with which the piles'are made. This material, hydraulic cen'ient,'can be rammed in to tightly fill the said grooves as represented at I) in the two said figures, and then it is allowed to set, after which the piles will be' so well united as t6 form one solid mass, having obvious advantages.

It would be superfluous here to particularize all the uses to which the above described invention can be put or all the ways-an which it can be employed. It will be sufiicient to point out that this improved pile the product: of this method of making. -15 ayailable a foundation-pile or for any kind of substructure or underground support; for cotter-dams and caissons; for piers, trestlework, or quay-walling; for ferry-slips, breakwaters, or shore defenses; for dikes, jetties, harbor-dams, seawalls, etc,., etc.

.Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

offer indefinite resistance prises v 1. A recess of making piles which comling a suitable 1 f0rm with fresh mixed calcareous cement, subjecting the packed cement therein to a high" pressure, and causing the pressed cement to set Wholly Within the form.

, 2. Packing fresh mixed calcareous cement and a binding metal ina suitable form, pressing the mass as a Whole and leaving it' to set. V

3.. Filling a suitable form with fresh mixed calcareouscement', pressing the mass laterally therein and letting it solidify While under pressure.

Filling 2. suitable formwith fresh mixed expanding calcareous cement, com-' ,mixed expanding calcareous cement and a binding metal, completely closing the form s0 as to prevent expansion of the mass therein, and leaving the mass to solidify in the closed form.

GUSTAV A. BEHRND.

' Witnesses:

A. H. STE. MARIE, L. MEININGER. 7 

